When Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress told his players Monday afternoon that Randy Moss(notes) would be released because “we want good people that are good football players, and this just doesn’t fit,” several of them nodded their approval. Though Childress isn’t especially popular in the locker room, some Vikings were on board with his decision to move on without Moss four weeks after the polarizing wideout was reacquired in a trade with the New England Patriots.

Even before Sunday’s surreal address to the media following the Vikings’ 28-18 defeat to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium – during which he questioned Childress’ leadership while effusively praising his former coach, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots’ organization – Moss had alienated some of his teammates with his brash, entitled behavior, most glaringly in an incident that occurred in the team’s locker room last Friday afternoon, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

As is the team’s custom on Fridays, a local food establishment was invited to the training facility to serve a catered, post-practice meal in the locker room. In this case, a St. Paul restaurant that is a favorite of former Vikings center Matt Birk(notes). As the proprietors helped serve chicken, ribs, pasta and other dishes to Vikings players, Moss paced up and down the serving line and loudly expressed his displeasure with the offerings.

According to one player who witnessed the scene, Moss yelled, “What the [expletive]? Who ordered this crap? I wouldn’t feed this to my dog!”

Said the witness: “It was brutal. The truth is, he deserved to be cut after that. It was such an uncomfortable moment. You know that feeling where you just can tell someone feels so small? That’s what it was like being there.

“This wasn’t a chain – it was a mom-and-pop restaurant, and you could tell it was their best stuff. They had a special carving station set up, and there were players and other support staff lining up to eat it. And [Moss] is at his locker saying, ‘You know, I used to have to eat that crap – but now I’ve got money.’ You just felt so sad for them. I had never seen anyone treated like that.

“And by the way, the food was actually really good.”

While Moss had his share of supporters in the locker room, some Vikings had grown disillusioned with his attitude. From the receiver’s uneven effort in practice to his displays of self-centeredness off the field, some veterans believed Moss was becoming a bad influence to young players like second-year wideout Percy Harvin(notes).

There was also locker room speculation about Moss’ effort – or lack thereof – on two plays in recent games. With the Vikes facing a last-gasp fourth-down pass in a 28-24 defeat to the Packers in Green Bay two Sundays ago, quarterback Brett Favre(notes) threw a high pass in the back of the end zone that sailed over Moss’ head, though it didn’t appear as though the receiver made an effort to jump for the ball.

In Sunday’s game against the Patriots, with the Vikings trailing by 10 midway through the fourth quarter, Moss drew a pass-interference penalty on Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather(notes) while streaking down the left sideline. It appeared as though Moss might have been able to catch the pass for a touchdown after the penalty occurred but that he broke off the route once the flag was thrown.

The Vikings got the ball at the New England 9 and scored four plays later, though not before Favre sustained a lacerated chin that knocked him from the game.

Most of all, however, Moss’ treatment of the restauranteurs in the locker room convinced some teammates that he wasn’t worth the trouble. Since becoming the Vikings’ coach in 2006, Childress has consistently preached that he wants “good people who are good football players,” and Moss clearly didn’t seem to be projecting himself as someone who fits in the former category.

When Childress, according to one person in Monday’s meeting, said of Moss, “This just doesn’t fit with how we treat people, how we talk to people and how we act,” it was clear that he was referring to the incident that occurred last Friday. Sunday’s stream-of-consciousness statement to the media only reinforced the internal perception that Moss was going out of his way to disrespect the organization.

With all of that said, Childress still has major credibility issues with his players, most of whom side with Favre in his ongoing clash with the coach. And there’s no guarantee Childress will stay the coach for the remainder of the season. However, his decision to part ways with Moss was, for some, viewed as an understandable consequence of the receiver’s behavior.

Keep in mind that this is exactly what people were saying about Andre Rison when they picked him up in 1996 when he helped the Packers win a Super Bowl.

Bad character, malcontent, locker room cancer ... these were words said about him.

A team can afford one or two character risks provided your locker room is strong ... you just can't have a locker room full of them. The 1996 Packers had Reggie White to keep Rison in check.

Moss was a terrible fit in Oakland and on the 2010 Vikings. He was a big asset to the Patriots. It all depends on the environment of which he is a part. And, if the Packers have a strong leader or two in their locker room, Moss can help the team.

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Id rather not upset the team dynamic on a gamble for some diva-***, overpaid, over-rated, slackin-***, weird face having schmuck.

This locker room seems taken. This organization is steady. (I'm baffled as well, with how things always happen, and MM...). Moss couldn't do to this team what he did in that hellhole in MN. Our leaders wouldn't allow it, it wouldn't pass with Rodgers, Woodson, MM and TT. Plus, if Moss came here, HE would want to come here. He's not being traded out of his will. In here, he wouldn't want to prove a point. He would want to win a ring.

Plus, TT pursued him before, and there were even bigger concerns when he was with the Raiders.

Moss could be the guy to take Finley's role as the defenses' #1 concern.

Greg Jennings, right now, is a better WR than Moss. This isn't even arguable. But our O could benefit from someone drawing all the attention.

Just to finish it up. If Moss came here, it would be in our terms, not in his. This is crucial, I believe. I don't believe it'll happen, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Once the Minnesota Vikings officially release wide receiver Randy Moss, the other 31 teams will have a chance to make a waiver wire claim within 24 hours. The team with the worst record, the 0-7 Bills, have the first crack, followed by the 1-6 Panthers and on down. If a team claims Moss, they owe him the remainder of his $6.4 million contract this season.
If no team wants to pick up Moss' remaining salary, he'll become an unrestricted free agent later this week and the Vikings would have to pay the remainder of his original contract.

With that in mind, here's a look at 10 teams that may be interested in acquiring Moss, either through the waiver wire or via free agency.

Chicago Bears
Pro: Jay Cutler needs another target and can get the ball deep in a hurry. Even with momentum rapidly sliding away, the Bears are still 4-3 in a wide-open division. And head coach Lovie Smith knows he is coaching for his job this season.
Con: Two problems: Cutler can't hit Moss from his back. And even when Cutler does get enough time, he's been consistently making bad decisions.

Indianapolis Colts
Pro: With injuries questions surrounding Dallas Clark, Austin Collie and Anthony Gonzalez, the Colts are going pretty deep into the bench at receiver. Reggie Wayne would probably be thrilled to have Moss lining up across from him to distract defenses. Moss could be energized joining this team just like he was in New England in 2007.
Con: He doesn't seem like a fit for this team and its soft-spoken coach Jim Caldwell. Peyton Manning excels at making unknown receivers stars. They've never brought in an established wideout because they believe it's the quarterback and the system that's key.

Kansas City Chiefs
Pros: The Chiefs were rumored to be pursuing Carolina's Steve Smith before the trade deadline and need to improve their passing game to complement their league-leading rushing attack. Kansas City president Scott Pioli brought Randy Moss to New England and went 16-0, and quarterback Matt Cassel has familiarity with Moss.
Cons: The Chiefs have a young, impressionable locker room that seems to be headed in the right direction. Would Moss muck that up?

Miami Dolphins
Pro: Moss would provide a deep threat missing with their current receiver corps and help stretch defenses to breathe life into their running game.
Con: They just gave a nice, new contract to receiver Davone Bess and have invested in Brandon Marshall. Do they really need to pay Moss as well?

New England Patriots
Pro: Bill Belichick could re-sign Moss just to prove he's smarter than everyone else. He'd get the third-round pick, make the Vikes pick up this year's contract and get the player back. Also, Deion Branch might not have as much left in the tank as we thought after his first game back in New England.
Cons: They got rid of him for a reason, although Belichick never was quite clear what that was. Our guess is he wasn't a joy to play with earlier this season even though he seems to love New England now.

St. Louis Rams
Pro: The Rams lost last season's top receiver Donnie Avery before the season started and promising rookie Danario Alexander can't get his knee healthy. Sam Bradford is doing well, but he's not exactly lighting up the scoreboards and could use some more weapons.
Cons: This is a very young team with a seemingly tight-knit locker room that could be thrown off by adding a star like Moss. And even with their success and the ability to sneak into the playoffs in the weak NFC West, they're thinking long-term.

San Diego Chargers
Pro: At 3-5, the Chargers are one of the only teams that consider themselves a Super Bowl contender and have a bad enough record to win a claim on Moss. They don't get Vincent Jackson back until Week 12, and Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee are banged up.
Cons: Even with the injuries, their passing game is No. 1 in the NFL. When Jackson comes back, there might not be enough passes to keep Moss happy.

Seattle Seahawks
Pro: The Seahawks are thrilled with the production of reinvigorated Mike Williams, but they don't have much else and could use a deep threat. Pete Carroll knows he has a chance to win the NFC West and he hasn't shied away from potential character issues.
Con: Seattle seems to be where former star receivers go to die (see Deion Branch, T.J. Houshmandazeh), and Moss might not be happy if they completely disappear in games like they did at Oakland on Sunday.

Tennessee Titans
Pro: Kenny Britt sat out most of Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, and if he can't get healthy the Titans will need to get help. Tennessee needs a vertical threat to keep defenses from cheating up in the box to stop Chris Johnson.
Con: Do the Titans really need another headache? Will Moss be a good influence on Britt, who still could face NFL discipline for an altercation in a bar? Do they have a quarterback who can get the ball to Moss?

Washington Redskins
Pro: Donovan McNabb has one of the worst sets of receivers in the NFL, which neutralizes his No. 1 strength -- throwing the long ball. Mike Shanahan could use a new set of headlines after his embarrassing switch to Rex Grossman at the end of the loss to the Lions. We know the Redskins aren't afraid of signing former stars on the decline.
Cons: The Redskins said they were going to get away from this kind of signing under their new regime. And they need to focus on protecting McNabb if they hope to get any kind of passing game going.

Two teams that make no sense, but you can't rule out:

Dallas Cowboys
Dallas is 1-6 and going nowhere this season. It would make no sense to sign him for this season unless the Cowboys think they'll want to sign him to an extension because they regretted not drafting him 12 years ago. Nevermind that they just signed Miles Austin to a six-year $54 million contract with $18 million guaranteed. And they gave Roy Williams a ton of guaranteed money in 2008. And they have exciting rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant. Still ... it's Jerry Jones.

New York Jets
They can't really sign another receiver with possible character issues, can they, after bringing in Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes? Although Moss's ability to catch a pass thrown his way might be a nice change for quarterback Mark Sanchez.

In three games before the arrival of Moss, Percy Harvin caught 12 passes for 106 yards and 0 TD. That’s an average of four catches, 35.3 YPG and 8.3 YPC.

In four games with Moss, Percy Harvin caught 19 passes for 287 yards and 2 TD. That’s an average of five catches, 72 YPG and 15.1 YPC.

Harvin also had 5 rushes for 59 yards and one touchdown with Moss compared to 2 rushes, 15 yards and zero TD without him. The Vikings team as a whole averaged 14.6 PPG without Randy Moss compared to 21.5 PPG with him.

could we just take this as an aggravated & disgruntled guy that wants to win a SB...he can tell the Viqueens are garbage & not going to compete...he can tell Favre ain't the same guy...I still think deep down Moss wants the same things as any other competitive player...he doesn't have much gas left in the tank...he wants to win one sooner...it would be very interesting to see how this works out

could we just take this as an aggravated & disgruntled guy that wants to win a SB...he can tell the Viqueens are garbage & not going to compete...he can tell Favre ain't the same guy...I still think deep down Moss wants the same things as any other competitive player...he doesn't have much gas left in the tank...he wants to win one sooner...it would be very interesting to see how this works out

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No.

Moss' behavior was atrocious. This wasn't a disgruntled guy that wants to win a SB. This was a prima donna person, a big baby who didn't get what he wanted.

But as I said earlier, Moss came to the Vikings in his term. He would come to the Packers in OUR term.

My opinion is that, if TT passes it, it's a good deal. If TT brings him, TT, a guy that's a freak with locker room balance, a guy that every move he does, is based on personality, if he brings Moss, it's because it WILL work.